Russia attacked Kharkiv region a month earlier than anticipated – The Telegraph.

Russia launched an offensive on Kharkiv earlier than planned

According to The Telegraph, Russia began its offensive on the Kharkiv region a month earlier than originally planned. This led to insufficient preparation of Russian troops, who were supposed to attack Donbas simultaneously.

«The Russians began the offensive on Kharkiv about a month ahead of schedule», said Michael Kofman, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment.

This early offensive strategy was aimed at surprising the Ukrainian army. However, the Russian troops themselves were also surprised. The Russian army corps intended for Donbas had not yet completed training and was a month behind the battle schedule.

According to Kofman, when the Russian operation on Kharkiv started to falter, the Russian command decided to withdraw troops from Donbas to use them in the north. This delay may have saved the Ukrainians from disaster.

The Russian army in the Kharkiv region is trying to break through the Ukrainian defenders' defensive lines using rifle battalions that constantly attack.

In a month, the Russian army in the Kharkiv region lost up to a thousand soldiers killed and several thousand wounded.

Ukrainian Armed Forces attacks on the occupiers' supply lines have led to a shortage of food, water, and ammunition for Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, slowing their advance in this direction.